Mario Is On A Self-Care Journey — And He's Using His Music To Express It

Sharing your personalized developments with other people can be daunting, even for an artist like Mario, who's already built a memorable legacy of gold- and platinum-certified albums with early-2000s R&B anthems that still resonate today. Thankfully, he saw fit to use his new song, "Care For You," from 2018's Dancing Shadows, as a car to share parts of himself that had however to be publicly explored with the world at large.


The Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist is breaking new ground with song, because the trustworthy record finds him openly searching for self-acceptance and reflecting on how his life has shaped him. A somber piano sets the tone for Mario to counsel himself, as he croons, “You’re still here, although I know/ that your heart’s getting cold/ I’m holding tight, it’s getting real now.”


Mario initially made a name for himself with romantic singles like “Let Me Love You” and “Just A Friend 2002.” Right now, although, he’s using the Khufu Najee-directed “Care For You” video concentrate on the power of self-love, healing, and encouragement. While in the video, we visualize him playing the role of a therapist reflecting on unforgettable moments from his childhood. The visual serves as a weak, expressive form of encouragement to anyone navigating mental health issues stemming from their past.


The Baltimore native is also acting on the message that his art conveys by teaming up with The Equitas Project, a nonprofit company that focuses on disentangling mental health and criminal justice. He’s particularly focused on serving minority communities that lack the access and resources required to take care of mental health-related issues. And he’s doing all of this while preparing for the season premiere of Fox's Empire, in which he plays the role of rising star DeVon.


MTV News talked with the R&B veteran about how he is going to work with Equitas Project to serve marginalized communities, what self-care means to him, along with involvement on B2K's Millennium Tour with fellow tourmates Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, Bobby V, Ying Yang Twins, and Chingy.


MTV News: You’re currently in the middle of performing on The Millennium Tour with B2K, Pretty Ricky, and Lloyd. What has been your most favored moment from the tour thus far?


Mario: I can’t pick one moment. Every night is incredible. I open up with a song from Dancing Shadows called “Gold Plates.” Right after that, I go into “Just A Friend” [and you could hear] the full crowd sing the song in unison. Some women are wearing jerseys that I wore in my first video. It’s a whole different vibe. I saw one girl who made a shirt with photos of me from the starting of my career until right now. I’ve met her two times before. Those types of moments can’t be replicated. You have got to be there to experience the energy and understand the impact. I’ve spent multiple hours in the studio, and pushed through numerous sleepless nights creating music. Being to be able to see the people who feel the impact of my music and appreciate my new releases makes everything worth it.


MTV News: Dancing Shadows is your first album in just under a decade. Were there mental roadblocks to push past during the method of releasing it?


Mario: there really are constantly mental blocks while in an album's creative process. Those blocks are required. Today, we’re in another time and space. Fans wish to know that your music comes from a real place. I believe that true art transcends time, culture, and generations. I’m a testament to that. [Some fans] come up to me and tell me that they love my first album, as soon as they weren’t even old enough to listen once it first came out. The music lives on. It takes on a life of its own.


I perform my new single, “Care For You,” every night. The fans are very open and accepting. The full arena is filled up with lights. It’s such an extraordinary moment for me. It’s the moment that you think about once you’re writing a song. Whenever I’m in the studio writing, I imagine the fans singing and also me.


MTV News: One line from “Care For You” feels particularly climatic: You state, “and for once, I am drifting, however not on my own/ And right now I’m right where I shoulda been, here with you all along.” Can you talk about what that lyric means to you, personally?


Mario: That lyric means that I’ve been here [physically] before, yet right now I’m actually able to be present in the moment. As a young man, you chase this idea of potential and not embracing the moment. This whole song is about living in the moment, embracing self-love, and expressing love for those around you. That line resembles being present with your people like never before and feeling everything that they feel. That line is me saying, ‘I’m finally present with you, like I’ve never been before. I feel everything that you feel. I feel everything that I was hiding from within myself, and it’s because of you that I do. I care for you, and I don’t wish to lose you.’


MTV News: How did you get to a point where you can would be present with your people in the moment?


Mario: Losing people that I love made me realize how brief life is. I noticed myself much less inclined to take things for granted, in comparison to While I was younger and thought that I knew everything. I think we all go through a phase in which we think we know everything, up until life demonstrates to you how much more you must learn. I’m still a student. I don’t think I’ll ever figure it all out, yet I’m learning about how to express myself on a different level — as an artist, as a writer, and as a creative. That level of expression assists the me as a person.


MTV News: Mental health is a central theme of the “Care For You” video. What inspired you to create this a focus of your art?


Mario: I believe that mental health deserves more of our focus. I’m still learning about how to express how I feel about things that connect us all. As an artist, you learn to give people art and keep your personalized life to yourself. Fans reacted to “Care For You” in an extraordinary way. I thought other songs would generate a stronger reaction, yet that record’s vulnerability is what has stolen the show. Vulnerability, authenticity, and realness are powerful. I’ve learned that being open and truthful is the way to free yourself.


MTV News: You’ve teamed up with The Equitas Project to spread awareness about underserved communities and the difficulties they face in regards to obtaining assistance with mental health issues. Can you speak on the role that you play in this project?


Mario: I’m an ambassador. I’m helping to raise awareness on the issues. I’ll be visiting their facilities soon, and building more with them to figure everything out. It’s a new relationship, nevertheless it’s a crucial relationship. I wanted to prepare ensure that it was included in the particular rollout of the single. I’m happy to begin by using my platform to prepare awareness of the issues that they help with. A lot of times, people feel alone in their circumstances. That needs to change.


MTV News: Can you speak to how your work with the Equitas Project serves the residents of your hometown of Baltimore and other identically marginalized communities?


Mario: I believe that we need to give children a bigger voice than what they already have. A lot of perfect kids feel that their potential is overshadowed by the obstacles that they face. Oftentimes they don’t feel like their voice is crucial. That can stifle someone and suppress their potential. That in itself is suppressing the soul.


I would like to be able to see a place where children can express themselves artistically, and be mentored by people who’ve been where they’ve been. They require have the ability to see someone who’s still working on themselves. I think that art is a pretty way to permit someone to emote. It doesn’t habitually have to happen through conversation. It might be through writing, music, or a couple of different things.


MTV News: What does self-care mean to you? What do you do to make sure your own mental health, both while touring and in your everyday life?


Mario: I have a strict schedule that necessitates working out, meditating, intentionally taking time to be alone, gathering my thoughts, and reflecting on how I might have approached my day differently. I actively build community with my team. We have team meetings where I force conversations about the issues that may be affecting our chemistry. I don’t like to let things linger or remain unsaid. Things like that make a large difference in my camp, how we communicate amongst each other, and the energy that we put out on stage. We are a vessel, and the energy that we hold affects other people. That’s a big segment of leadership and growth. A lot of young leaders need to learn their power.


MTV News: Self-love and self-advocacy seem to be recurring themes during Dancing Shadows. How have your relationships with these elements evolved since the release of your 2009 album, D.N.A.?


Mario: the variation between who I am right now and who I was then has a lot to do with self-acceptance and taking the good with the bad. You need both sort in attempt to make contrast and afterward maneuver within that contrast. Taking chances, making mistakes, trying new things, and going against the grain are all piece of my growth.


MTV News: The “Care For You” video reenacts key moments from pivotal times while in your childhood. What opinions would you give to the younger version of yourself?


Mario: To have more fun, and to trust my intuition. I wouldn’t change anything else.


MTV News: If every person who listened to Dancing Shadows could walk away with only one thought, what would you want that thought to be?


Mario: I’d want each person to walk away with a understanding of how art transcends culture and generations. Dancing Shadows shows that the art you put out is something to be overjoyed of and happy about. Art shows growth and permits you to learn as well. It should be an all-inclusive experience. That’s what’s good for the culture.